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Murder-Suicide in Families

Cases in which one intimate partner murders another and the children and then kills him- or herself are rare and usually garner
widespread media coverage. This type of murder-suicide is called familicide.

In almost all of these cases, the killer is a white, non-Hispanic man [1].

Cases in which women kill their male partners, their children and themselves are extremely rare and thus gain even more widespread
media coverage.

Previous history of abuse is by far the most dominant risk factor. In one study, 82 percent of the men who killed their intimate
partners were known to the authorities — treatment professionals, the military or the criminal justice system, for example
[8].

In most cases, the man exhibits possessive, obsessive and jealous behavior. There is a gradual build-up of tensions and conflicts
after which an event leads the man to act. The triggering event is often the woman's announcement that she is leaving.

The time immediately after a woman leaves an abusive partner is the most dangerous [9].

Role of Guns

The data are clear: More incidents of murder-suicide occur with guns than with any other weapon. Access to a gun is a major
risk factor in familicide because it allows the perpetrator to act on his or her rage and impulses.

In 591 murder-suicides, 92 percent were committed with a gun [10]. States with less restrictive gun control laws have as much as eight times the rate of murder-suicides as those with the
most restrictive gun control laws.

Compared to Canada, the United States has three times more familicide; compared to Britain, eight times more; and compared
to Australia, 15 times more.

Role of Shelters

Domestic violence shelters are meeting the needs of abuse survivors and their children, providing services like housing, mental
health counseling and legal assistance. Nearly three-quarters (74 percent) of domestic violence survivors rate the assistance
they received at their shelters as "very helpful," and another 18 percent rate it as "helpful."

Role of the Economy

The very low number of murder-suicide incidents makes it hard for researchers to understand exactly what role the economy
plays in these cases. What is known is that economic distress is a factor, but it is only one of several factors that trigger
a man to murder his family. In most cases, the couple has a history of disagreement over many issues, most commonly money,
sex and child-rearing.

Although personal economics like the loss of a job may be one of several critical factors, most experts agree that the strength
or weakness of the national economy is not related to the frequency of murder-suicides, despite media coverage that suggests
otherwise.